Bespoke wine racks are a must for wine lovers

FOR some, the idea of wine storage may be little more than a box in the larder, but for the growing number of wine enthusiasts the humble wine rack is becoming a design statement in itself as demonstrated by thriving new venture Wild Grapes in Guildford.

FOR some, the idea of wine storage may be little more than a box in the larder, but for the growing number of wine enthusiasts the humble wine rack is becoming a design statement in itself as demonstrated by thriving new venture Wild Grapes in Guildford.

The brainchild of Graham and Natalie Drage, the business blossomed from the couple’s passion for wine and Graham’s desire to a develop a creative outlet alongside the small IT consultancy he runs.

They identified a gap in the market, for well-designed, but functional wine racks, when they couldn’t find a suitable facility for their own wine collection. After commissioning a design from a local blacksmith, they realised that the attractive, handcrafted result was what they had been looking for and so began learning to weld themselves in a rented workshop at Lurgashall in West Sussex, fittingly close to the renowned Lurgashall Winery.

“(The welding) wasn’t easy at first, but you soon get the hang of it,” said Drage.

“We also brought in a qualified metal worker to make a lot of the pieces and to learn from him.

“My wife and I have found that the business is a really good way of working together and combining our skills – mine in project management and her graphic design talent. She designed the company’s website as well as some of the designs for the racks.”

The combination of the aesthetic detail as well as functionality has proven to be a successful alternative to the predominantly flat-pack pine offerings widely-available on the high street.

And the couple’s regular appearances at trade shows has helped to secure an extensive client-base, 80% of which is the private residential market serving large, exclusive properties. Other services all produced in-house include bespoke wine cellars for those who want to make their wine collection an even more prominent feature in their home, be it an air-conditioned, showcase wine room on a large scale or a more modest facility.

Prefabricated and portable wine rooms are another alternative offering the convenience of a walk-in wine room without the hassle of excavating a new underground cellar. Drage is relieved to be in a market which is seems to be thriving.

“Wine is a massively expanding area with the UK predicted to become the largest importer in Europe in two year’s time,” he said “People are better educated about wine, they buy it in greater volume, filling their car boots when they go abroad.

“As a result they want larger storage areas but which are also more elegant and fit in with the rest of their furniture.” And for the serious wine collector, Drage believes that quality storage facilities are essential to preserve the investment because they offer greater durability and are more capable of withstanding substantially heavier loads.

“The premium can be lowered on the insurance of valuable wine collections by using storage which is securely protected,” added Drage.

“Our products have mounted brackets which enable the units to be secured to the wall.”

On average a bespoke wine rack takes around four to six weeks to produce with a cellar taking up to eight weeks depending on the complexity of the project.

“We guide people because we know the type of wine racks which look attractive, but sometimes clients have their own ideas. “A recent project was for a rack with a steel frame and with an expensive type of oak on top. The client also wanted grape vine design in the metal, which was a complex, but interesting brief.”

As was the recent project at Loseley Park in Guildford for which a number of individual wine bins were built with matching bespoke racks, which took a couple of months to complete.

“The most popular rack design is for the contemporary, minimalist look with stainless steel,”said Drage,

“In terms of bespoke cellars people often don’t want us to use a finishing product on it so that it can rust naturally over the few months to give it a more rustic, authentic and natural appearance more like the kind of old wine cellars you often see in the South of France.”